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New Moon in Aries – freedom and liberation

The New Moon in Aries takes place on Sunday, 15 April at 26° Aries.

This New Moon in Aries will surprise you, enlighten you, and might just change your life. It will first shake you, and then it will set you free.

Aries is the first sign of the zodiac – Aries energy is initiating and empowering. The journey of the zodiac starts with Aries. Aries is when we break away from the ‘oneness’ of Pisces and choose the manifest the divine in a unique way. My way. Your way.

Aries is the ‘Start before you’re ready’ energy. Action, impulse, expressing your true self, are rewarded when the Sun shines from Aries. The New Moon in Aries will bring the clarity you need to act according to your agenda. No time for hesitation!

The New Moon in Aries is closely conjunct Uranus, the planet of freedom and surprises. Uranus is, in fact, the signature of this New Moon, so expect the unexpected!

I was in Costa Rica, coming back from the jungle to catch my flight back to Europe. I was in the middle of nowhere, with no network connection, and could see no way to get to the airport in time to catch my flight. When I was losing all my hope, a taxi appeared out of nowhere literally in the last minute. I was saved!

A New Moon conjunct Uranus is just like the taxi that comes when you least expected it. Like that text message you receive when you thought it’s all over. Like that email in your inbox landing with an offer that you just can’t refuse.

Mercury goes direct

Mercury is going direct on the same day. So we have two reasons to celebrate: the beginning of a new cycle of manifestation (the New Moon) and Mercury direct!

Mercury direct will bring you the must needed clarity. The last three weeks must have been confusing and irritating – Mercury has been retrograde since March 23. Mercury retrograde in Aries brings a lot of irritation because Aries wants to act, but Mercury retrograde cannot keep up with Aries’ effervescence.

When Mercury is retrograde, it is in fact, crossing the same area of the sky three times, asking you to revisit, and revisit… and revisit the same topics, over and over again, until you gain a new perspective, until you ‘get it’.

Mercury going direct at the time of the New Moon is a promise. Is a promise that this time you can get it right.

Even if everything seems wrong, you still have a chance to make it right. Yes, change is possible, even when you lose all the hope.

You already know the truth

“Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma – which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of other’s opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary”

Steve Jobs

You may be familiar with the Steve Jobs’ story. Despised by many, Steve was a man who lived his truth and created something outstanding not only for his times but for generations to come. He was not successful from the beginning – in fact, he lost everything several times. But in the spirit of true Aries entrepreneurship (he had Mars and Moon in Aries), he started again, and again, and again. Every new beginning was a little bit different. And then he finally ‘connected the dots’. The rest is history.

There are few lessons we can learn from Steve Jobs that resonate with the energy of the New Moon in Aries:

• Follow your heart and intuition “you already know what you want to become”

• The so-called normality does not define you – “don’t be trapped by dogma”

• Live your own truth – ‘everything else is secondary’

• Be persistent: start again, again, and again… but don’t repeat the same mistake twice

• Be open-minded – when you start again, start with a beginner’s mind

• Embrace your failures – your biggest pain can be in fact your greatest gift

With Uranus, you HAVE to beam your light out. Go for your truth, even if you are not prepared for what’s next. Trust the divine insight.

Clarity comes from engagement, not thought. Clarity doesn’t come from doing more of the same thing, nor from doing the same thing over and over again. It comes from you being fully present. It comes from connecting to your heart, to that divine spark of light. That insight that will show you exactly what you need to know.

We are living interesting times

The New Moon happens just a few days before Chiron moves into Aries and is the last New Moon in Aries to take place before Uranus moves into Taurus.

“May you live interesting times” is one of the most severe Chinese curses. It definitely doesn’t sound like a curse, at least not by Western standards. But there is a deeper meaning to it. We all know that right not there is an abundance of choices everywhere. There is so much we can achieve – in terms of finances, career, education, traveling, relationships and even spirituality. All this abundance of choice leads to lack of clarity. Hence, the curse. Scientists have backed this up – when we have too much choice, our brain gets confused and we become unhappy.

Uranus in Aries has brought a lot of chaos, and also a lot of opportunities. Now, that we are moving towards the end of the transit, you may wonder “What was this all about? What does it mean to me?”

You may feel an urge to get things straight, to make it right. Before a chapter of your life closes, you want to enter a new chapter of your life ‘in good standing’. You want to feel that you have done your best.

But you may not know what exactly you need to do, what exactly you should focus on, what it is that you need to ‘fix’.

The New Moon in Aries will bring you the breakthrough and the clarity you were waiting for.

Clarity comes when you least expect it

You can get whatever you want if you open yourself to the possibilities which are found beyond what the mind thinks it’s possible. In that place of light, freedom, ultimate love and higher awareness – there is an answer to everything. Possibilities are endless.

The insight always comes, but it comes when you least expect it.

And there is a reason for that. Imagine you anxiously wait for an answer, for a specific outcome. In that space of anticipation, you are in fact trying to frame your reality. How can the divine light come to you? Even if it comes, you will not be able to see it, because you focus all your energy somewhere else.

The divine insight can ONLY come when you least expect it. It is only when your mind is free of expectations, that impossible becomes possible.

Through imagination, a lost opportunity is regained

The Sabian symbol of the New Moon is “Through imagination, a lost opportunity is regained”. What a great metaphor for this New Moon in Aries, featuring Uranus and Mercury going direct!

When Mercury changes course things change their course as well. You have the chance to revisit something from the past and ‘make it right’. But if you want a different outcome, you have to approach it differently. Imagination is the best way to create new possibilities.

The mind must first ‘imagine’ what will then be able sooner or later to actually experience.

Uranus is the higher octave of Mercury, representing the higher intellect, the genius trapped inside each one of us, the divine quality of your mind. You can manifest whatever you put your mind to! If you can dream it, you can do it.

Uranus wants to liberate your mind from dogmas so you can think different. Think about a lost opportunity. Something you wanted to have a different outcome. Can you imagine different ways of approaching it? When you get clear about the outcome you are expecting, you can find endless ways of getting there!

New Moon in Aries – What does it mean for you

A shift has already taken place. You know you can no longer ignore it.

The New Moon in Aries is closely linked to Uranus’s transit in Aries. Reflect on the last 7 years of your life – what are the major themes? The New Moon in Aries will be the “final act”, the conclusion, your greatest insight.

Imagine you read a novel – each chapter introduces a new character. In the last chapter of the book, all characters come together. The dots get connected. The big picture is revealed. Same with your life.  If you want to understand the deeper meaning, you have to go through all the chapters of your life, in order.

“You can’t connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backward. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. You have to trust in something – your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever”

Steve Jobs

You will feel the energy of the New Moon stronger if you have planets or angles around 26° Aries, Libra, Cancer of Capricorn.

You can find more information about New and Full Moons here

In February, the energy shifts from serious and responsible Capricorn to humanitarian Aquarius (in the 1^st half of February) and spiritual Pisces (in the 2^nd half of February).

Although we won’t have any Full Moon this month, February will not be by any means be less eventful than January.

February is marked by a very powerful New Moon in Aquarius which is also a Solar Eclipse. This Solar Eclipse will be the trademark of February and events will tend to happen around this time. If you are born around 15^th of February, the coming year is going to be a very important year of your life.

The New Moon and Solar Eclipse in Aquarius coincides with the start of the Chinese year of the Earth Dog. In Chinese tradition, Earth dogs are faithful, considerate and well-disciplined. This is pretty much what we can expect from 2018 from a Western perspective as well, having Saturn in hard-working Capricorn and Jupiter in truthful Scorpio. The year of the Earth Dog is supposed to be auspicious in financial matters, but also exhausting on a physical level.

Also around Mid February, depending where you are on Earth, Venus makes her appearance as an evening star (this phenomenon is called Venus’ heliacal rising). Venus has been away for a long time and because of that many people have experienced a difficult time in love and relationships.

Venus invisible is even more problematic than Venus retrograde. If Venus retrograde can bring issues to the surface, but also resolutions to these issues, Venus invisible means that the values Venus stands for (love, relationships, values, possessions) become ‘invisible’, and are literally missing from our life. Venus has been lost in the glare of the Sun for approximately 2 months so we will all rejoice when Venus will make her appearance in the evening sky. You will especially benefit from Venus’ heliacal rising if you have Aries, Taurus, Libra or Scorpio Ascendant.

All these events make mid-February an extremely eventful time. If you have planned activities around this date expect very interesting developments.

Let’s have a look at the major aspects of the month:

On February 3^rd Sun is conjunct the South Node of the Moon and Venus is square Jupiter. Venus square Jupiter is a very idealistic and optimistic combination – we will feel the sky’s the limit! On the other hand, Sun conjunct the South Node has the opposite effect. Sun conjunct the South Node is a reality check: yes, in theory anything in possible, but in practice, we all have limited time and resources and not everything is for everyone.

South Node is Karma knocking on our door: is this thing you are doing serving your higher purpose, or is just wasting your time? What seems to be too good to be true can be not that good in the end. February 3^rd is not the best day to make big changes or to try to fix something. It is not about trying harder, it is about releasing and letting go.

On February 10^th Venus enters Pisces. The Goddess of beauty and love, Venus moves into her exaltation sign inviting all of us to feel what love is really about: losing yourself into the oneness of the universe, into the flow of everything. We will all benefit from this energy, and if you have Venus in a water sign (Cancer, Scorpio, Pisces) you will benefit even more so.

On February 13^th Mercury in Aquarius is square Jupiter in Scorpio. This is a tense combination because it takes place in fixed signs – and fixed signs like to stick to their point of view. Mercury, representing our individual experience of the world, feels cool and detached in Aquarius. Jupiter, which represents our social experience of the world, feels deep and penetrative in Scorpio. You can have a clash between your objective and your subjective experience of the world.

Mercury square Jupiter will test you and show you there is no right or wrong answer. We need both rationality and intuition to fully, deeply understand something. But again, because the square is in fixed signs, you can have a hard time to reconcile the two.

On February 15th we have a New Moon and Solar Eclipse at 27° Aquarius. The eclipse is tightly conjunct Mercury and Juno, is square Jupiter and sextile Uranus. The ruler of the Eclipse, Saturn, is sextile Venus. Venus with Saturn, as well as the asteroid Juno are connected to the principle of devotion.

This is a South Node eclipse – South Node eclipses are about letting go. Both Lunar Nodes are about adjustments, and alignments – if North Node eclipses have a dose of mystery and unknown, South Node eclipses are more literal – the adjustments they require are more obvious. You may have been devoting all your life to a cause, to a dream, to an ideal (Aquarius). The eclipse will expose the current reality of that ideal. You may realize that you are devoted to a lost cause, or at least, your cause and the relationship you have with it needs to go through some changes.

To find out how the Eclipse is going to impact you, check which house of your natal chart Aquarius is in. If you have for example, Scorpio ascendant / Aquarius in the 4^th house, you may realize that you have put too much energy and devotion into your family to the point of losing yourself. There are many people who stay in current jobs, relationships, friendships out of devotion, even if they are unhappy. The Solar Eclipse in Aquarius will challenge your relationship with the concept of devotion. Is it really worth it? Is your devotion unconditional or do you expect something in return? Venus sextile Saturn will give you the pragmatism to make the necessary changes.

On February 17^th – February 18^th Mars in Sagittarius is square Neptune in Pisces and Mercury and the Sun enter Pisces. You may feel uncertain about what is the best course of action. Should you assert yourself or go with the flow? On 17^th – 18^th of February we have a stellium in Pisces: Sun, Mercury, Venus, Neptune, Moon and Chiron, inviting you to swim in the waters of your intuition. Deep inside, you know what you need to do. The affairs of the house where you have Pisces will come into focus.

On February 21^st Venus is conjunct Neptune. This aspect signifies nothing more, nothing less but pure love. Venus is exalted in Pisces and Neptune is in domicile in Pisces. Pisces stands for unconditional love and compassion. No matter how pragmatic you are, today you will feel drawn to beauty and love in its purest form. If you go on a romantic date on February 21^st, it is going to be wonderful. Embrace this energy with your heart open and with no expectations.

Between February 25^th – February 28^th Venus and Mercury square Mars and Mercury is conjunct Neptune. These aspects can increase the intensity in relationships, for good and for bad. Your desire to connect with others, not only on a spiritual level, but also on a physical level, increases. In the midst of Neptunian fog, let go of your fears and expectations and surrender to the unknown.

 

On 31^st of January we have a very powerful Full Moon and Total Lunar Eclipse at 11° Leo. The Eclipse is visible in Australia, New Zealand, South East Asia, Alaska, Hawaii and north-western Canada.

On Wednesday night, the Moon will pass directly behind the Earth, disappearing into its shadow. This shadow is what the astrologers call the North Node, a karmic power point that represents the Soul’s evolutionary direction in this lifetime.

The Eclipses happen when the Sun or the Moon align with the North Node or the South Node, which are nothing else but the orbital nodes of the Moon – the North Node is where the Moon crosses from south of the ecliptic to the north of the ecliptic, and the South Node is where it crosses from north of the ecliptic to south of the ecliptic.

Because this alignment happens only at the New Moon and Full Moon phase, we can have either an Eclipse of the Sun (at the New Moon phase) or an Eclipse of the Moon (at the Full Moon phase)

So we can have 4 types of eclipses: South Node Solar Eclipses, South Node Lunar Eclipses, North Node Solar Eclipses and North Node Lunar Eclipses.

The Lunar Eclipse on 31^st of January 2018 is a North Node Lunar Eclipse. This means it is concerned with the Feminine principle (the Moon) and with the future (North Node).

While the South Node eclipses are about releasing of the past, the North Node eclipses require adjustment to new circumstances.

The Lunar Eclipse Moon in the royal sign of Leo, a sign connected with the proud expression of the self. Leo energy is where we are kings and queens in our own castle. Is where we show ourselves self-love, is where we live from the heart.

Therefore, the Lunar Eclipse in Leo is about creating new opportunities for growth for the queen inside you. Whether a woman or a man, we all have feminine attributes within our psyche. No matter who you are, it is time to be proud of the woman inside you, a woman who is not afraid to unleash her spirit, and live her calling.

But a Lunar Eclipse is much more than a Full Moon, which makes it a little bit more complicated. When we have only Full Moons, we have the opportunity to choose.

Let’s take an example of a regular Full Moon in Leo. Let’s say there is Full Moon in Leo and you go to a social gathering. As people go up on stage and tell their personal stories, you feel inspired. You understand how it is to live from the heart and express yourself without fear.

But when a Full Moon is also a Lunar Eclipse – like it is now – you have no choice but to go on stage yourself. Maybe you are shy, maybe you are scared to death of public speaking. Still, you have to go on stage, because an Eclipse will force you to become the energy you observe in others. It forces you act on the lessons you are learning.

If you embrace the new, if you are ready to meet with your future ‘shadow’, with your North Node, then the experience can feel very rewarding. But if you don’t, the experience can feel rather traumatic.

Perhaps that’s why eclipses have been regarded – and still are – as bad omens.

In ancient times especially, the eclipses were seen as omens for disasters. The biggest possible disaster back then was the death of the king. In order to avoid this from happening, at solar eclipses (solar eclipses were connected to the king) a ritual was put in place: the “Substitute king ritual”.

Saving the king

In this ritual, a person would be chosen to replace the king. He would be dressed like the king and placed on the throne. The person will live like a king for as long as the eclipse effects were supposed to last – from 3 days up to 100 days.

During this time, the real king would keep a low profile and avoid being seen. After the eclipse season was over, the substitute king was put to death, to fulfill the prophetic omen, while saving the life of the real king, who would reclaim the throne.

It is much more to this ritual than simply trading fate. During the ritual, the real king delved into the shadows, just the the Sun disappeared under the shadow of the Moon. When he came back to the throne, he was no longer the same person. The king went through his own transformation process, and this was what the – symbolic – death of the king was about. He saved himself by letting a part of him die.

Right now we have a lunar eclipse, so now it’s time to create a ritual for the queen inside us.

As the sky shuts down, it is time to move inward. A queen rules with her emotions. Are you rulling with your emotions or are your emotions rulling you?

The Lunar Eclipse is opposite Venus, who is right now on the other side of the Sun, close to the South Node of the past.

The two feminine principles – represented by Moon and Venus – are now quarreling in the sky.

“Mirror mirror on the wall, who is the prettiest of them all?”

The Solar Eclipse on January 31^st will ask us questions such as:

• Who am I: my body or my emotions? My past or my future?

• Should I go for what I want or wait to see how other details fit into the picture?

• Should I put myself first or other people?

• Should I go for instant gratification or build for the long haul?

There are no right or wrong answers. But is the principle of duality, of opposition that helps us become more aware of who we truly are.

Just like the king had to find a substituted to find himself, use the energy of the Lunar Eclipse to get in touch with who you are – let go of who you are not and save the real Queen.

Now look into the mirror. The answer’s right in front of your eyes.

You can find other 2018 full moon blog pages on the New and Full Moons 2018 page.